| Date: | Thursday 3 March 2016 |
|---|---|
| Time: | 6:30pm - 8:00pm |
| Venue: | Garden Court Chambers, 57-60 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London WC2A 3LJ |
| Areas of Law: | Housing Law |
On 19 January 2014, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Iain Duncan Smith MP and Home Secretary Theresa May told the Daily Mail that Britain’s generous welfare system should no longer be a ‘magnet’ for citizens of other EU states, and that they would be introducing a number of measures aimed at new migrant jobseekers from the European Economic Area (EEA).
This seminar will outline recent changes that restrict EEA nationals’ ability to access social assistance in the UK relevant to housing practitioners, and explore their compatibility with EU law and any possible legal challenges.
Delegates will leave with an understanding of the rights of EEA nationals and their family members to claim housing assistance in the United Kingdom and the interaction with their right to reside.
What will the seminar cover
- The Minimum Earnings Threshold for entitlement to claim benefits as a worker
- Time limits on EEA nationals’ right to claim income-based JSA and the Genuine Prospect of Work (GPoW) Assessment
- St Prix and the rights of pregnant EEA nationals
- The rights of 'Teixeira' parents
- The position of economically inactive EEA nationals
- ‘Jobseeker’ definition changes in EEA regulations
- The removal of the right to housing benefit for some EEA nationals in receipt of some income-based JSA
What is included
- 1.5 hours of CPD training
- Talks prepared by two leading housing and planning barristers
- Comprehensive notes for you to take away
- The opportunity to ask questions
- Refreshments
Who should attend
Housing practitioners working with EEA nationals
Speakers
Liz Davies specialises in all aspects of housing law, with a particular expertise in homelessness and allocation of social housing. Liz is committed to acting for the homeless, and for tenants and other occupiers. She is ranked as a 'Star Individual' in social housing in Chambers UK 2016 and co-authored Housing Allocation and Homelessness (3rd edition).
Desmond Rutledge specialises in welfare benefits, with experience in cases that cross over with housing, immigration and community care. He is a contributor to the welfare benefits sections in Macdonald's Immigration Law and Practice (9th edition) and co-author of the annual Housing Benefit Update published in the Legal Action Group magazine.
Nathaniel Mathews (Chair) is the senior solicitor at Hackney Community Law Centre (HCLC). He has worked at HCLC since qualifying as a solicitor in 1994 where he heads the Social Welfare Team. In 2006, Nathaniel was awarded the Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year Award in the ‘Social Welfare' category.
